Back to Sport Project launched in hopes of getting vulnerable youth in our community back to sport.
CALGARY, AB (September 28, 2021) –Today, KidSport Calgary and the Calgary Flames Sports Bank launched the Back to Sport Project in hopes of engaging the community in supporting their cause and the thousands of local kids who benefit from their programs. Today’s announcement is highlighted by the monumental donation of $100,000 from the Shaw Family Foundation. Kids need sport and physical activity now more than ever and the Back to Sport Project will help KidSport Calgary further support qualified kids in the community.
The Shaw Family Foundation donation which grew through the Shaw Birdies for Kids matching program, meaning even more kids in our community can access sports without the barrier of not having the money to cover registration or to purchase necessary equipment. “The Shaw Family Foundation is committed to helping break down barriers that prevent youth from participating in sports in our community,” says Julie Shaw, President of the Shaw Family Foundation. “We believe that no child who wants to play a sport should be left standing on the sideline because they can’t afford the equipment or registration fees.”
KidSport Calgary is working to raise $250,000 through the Back to Sport Project as they start to generate new donations and partnerships to support the current and future demand for their programs as families look to get their kids back playing the sports they love. Dollars raised will directly support qualified, low-income, families with sport registration fee assistance and no cost equipment so sport can be more accessible for their kids. Getting KidSport kids back to sport is about investing in the lives of some of the communities most vulnerable, giving them an outlet and investing in their mental and physical well-being.
Since August 1, 501 kids have received financial assistance from KidSport Calgary equaling $114,129 that has been invested back into the minor sport community to help kids play. Another 346 kids have received no cost equipment through the Calgary Flames Sports Bank, to get them geared up and ready to get back to the sport they love.
”Kids have been on the sidelines long enough, sport has been disrupted and our sport community has worked tirelessly to adjust and adapt to ensure programs are available for kids to be able to return to sport safely” noted Kevin Webster, CEO KidSport Calgary – Calgary Flames Sports Bank. “The Back to Sport Project with the amazing support of the Shaw Family Foundation is ready to build the foundation needed to help qualified, low income, kids in our community get back to sport. August and September have shown us that the demand for our programs has grown and the need for our support has never been more important as kids need the physical, social, mental, and emotional outlet that sport can provide. Join us in helping ensure ALL Kids Can Play by joining the Back to Sport Project.”
Please visit www.kidsport.ca/calgary and www.flamessportsbank.ca to find out more about the Back to School Project. Follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @kidsportcalgary @flamessportbank
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About KidSport Calgary & Area (KidSport Society of Calgary)
KidSport is a national non-profit organization that gets kids off the sidelines by removing the financial barriers that prevent youth from participating in organized sport. We believe that the power of sport
participation promotes the development of children’s social, mental and physical wellbeing. Through increasing access to quality sports programs, KidSport strengthens communities across Canada. KidSport Calgary & Area is proud to be one of the 170+ provincial/territorial and community KidSport chapters committed to making it So ALL Kids Can Play! KidSport Calgary raises money in our community to help kids in our community including Calgary, Airdrie, Black Diamond, Cochrane, Chestermere, High River, Strathmore, Rocky View County and Turner Valley
About the Calgary Flames Sports Bank (Southern Alberta Sports Equipment Bank Society)
The Calgary Flames Sports Bank: a KidSport Calgary program, was created in 2014 through the generous contributions of Bill Comrie and the Comrie Family. Comrie's Sports Bank was formed via a partnership of individuals representing key community groups – the Hockey Canada Foundation, the Hockey Alberta Foundation, Hockey Calgary, Sport Calgary, the Calgary Flames Foundation, the Calgary Hitmen and KidSport Calgary. In July of 2020 Bill Comrie passed the torch to the Calgary Flames Foundation as the Flames Foundation helped rename the organization as the Calgary Flames Sports Bank with the hopes of supporting even more kids throughout Southern Alberta. The charity’s primary goal is to gather, recycle and redistribute equipment at no cost to kids who would otherwise be denied the opportunity to participate.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Kevin Webster
kevinw@kidsportcalgary.ca
403-874-3692